Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong is interacting with a diverse group of young consumers by inviting Instagram users to capture views of the cosmopolitan city.

The summer contest is seeking to bring new visitors to the hotel and invigorate current visitors with a creative mission. Instagram competitions of this kind breed memorable ties by spurring entrants to make new experiences.

"Launching a contest through a social platform like Instagram can stir up a lot of attention because of the peer-to-peer social sharing inherent in the platform," said Kelly Cooper, marketing manager at ShopIgniter, Portland, OR.

"This digital communication builds momentum quickly, continually exposing new audiences to the brand and campaign message - like a contest," she said.

Amateurs and professionals uniteThrough June 25, consumers have the chance to win approximately $4,500 in prizes by participating in the hotel's #OurHK Instagram contest.

The three-week contest could attract many followers of the hotel's Instragram handle @fshongkong.

Alex Ogle, professional photographer for global news agency Agence France-Presse, seems to elevate the contest’s credibility by acting as the judge.

Four Seasons is encouraging its Instagram followers to target specific sites. In doing so, prospective visitors will have a virtual tour of the city.

In tandem with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Four Seasons has put location-based boundaries on the contest.

Additionally, a hedged number of locations will allow Mr. Ogle to more efficiently sift out the winners by allowing him to notice patterns and discern originality.

Also, the overarching hashtag #OurHK for the contest will be joined by a geotag or the location-based hashtags such as #taihang, #taiO, #tram, #lammaisland or #lamma, #victoriaharbour and #templestreet.

#OURHK Entry

Interestingly, quite a few entrants have used the #victoriaharbour hashtag, likely due its proximity and accessibility to tourists in Hong Kong, according to the hotel.

Since the contest is designed strictly for mobile users, other consumers may be spurred to familiarize themselves with the technology for contest eligibility.

Also, Instagram campaigns have flourished as a way to stir up brand interest.

Four Seasons Toronto generated buzz with an Instagram contest that asked followers to capture a perfect moment of the city (see story).

Furthermore, other luxury marketers such as London department store Harrods and footwear label Brian Atwood have capitalized on Instagram’s minimal investments and far-reaching potential with related tactics.

For example, Harrods has enlisted followers in a scavenger hunt for its iconic green man (see story).